There are a number of Employee Resource Groups available to students in the First Gen Affinity Community. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are employee-led coalitions comprised of employees who share common interests, backgrounds, and/or demographic factors. While the operations of such groups can differ from company to company, in general, they coordinate professional as well as social networking events. ERGs are beneficial because they foster community amongst individuals with similar identities and interests, provide networking opportunities, improve employee satisfaction and retention, and encourage growth and leadership opportunities for those from underrepresented backgrounds.
One ERG that First Gen students and alumni may benefit from is the Young Professionals Network (YoPros or YPN). This network is a nonprofit organization comprised of young workers based all over the country, with several locations not in the US. There are locations in Austin, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Raleigh, Vancouver, and Bangalore. The organization strives to give back to local communities and instill those values in their members. The group’s goal is to develop the professional connections of their members through networking, educating about corporate culture, and finding career growth opportunities. YoPros has connections with companies such as Apple, Comcast, eBay, Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft, PayPal, and many more. For more information about YoPros, check out their LinkedIn.
A second ERG that First Gen students and alumni may be interested in is the Early Career Network (ECN). ECN is focused on individuals in the fields of physical activity and public health, and defines themselves as a “network of self-defined ‘early career’ researchers and practitioners.” Their mission is to facilitate interaction, development, and growth of early career professionals in the fields of public health and physical activity. Some of the skills ECN helps their members to develop include grant writing and networking. These skills and other educational opportunities are provided through regular webinars. The group also connects members with developed professionals, profiles members on the newsletter to shine light on their research, and holds annual international conferences.
For more information about these ERGs and more, check out their links and the Center for Career Development’s website here.
